It's beginning to lose a lot like Christmas for Cowboys

So, fittingly, the Cowboys did what they always do around Christmas time: They lose.

At least so goes the all-too familiar narrative for another week after Monday night's 45-28 meltdown to the Chicago Bears.

The Cowboys (7-6) saw their two-game winning streak come to an end, as they dropped one game behind the NFC-East-leading Philadelphia Eagles (8-5) with three games to play.

It almost certainly means the Cowboys must win out to win the division and avoid missing the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.

The Cowboys play host to Green Bay on Sunday before playing at the Washington Redskins and then closing with a possible winner-take-all battle for the division title and the playoffs against the Eagles in the season finale on Dec 29.

"We have to go back to work and get ready for the next challenge," Garrett said. "The worst thing we can do is have a hangover."

It all brings into question the team's well-chronicled December doldrums. The Cowboys have had a winning record in the month of December just once since 1997 and they are 11-16 in December since Tony Romo became quarterback in 2006.

That poor record is the foundation for the team winning just one playoff game since 1997.

"It feels like to win out," Romo said. "That's our approach. It's felt like that for a few weeks. It will be the same way going forward.

The Cowboys control their own destiny because of their victory over the Eagles Oct. 20. But there is no more room for error.

The wildcard spot is all but gone and the only way they can end their three-year playoff drought is to win the final three games and win the division.

"We've got to win them all at this point," cornerback Orlando Scandrick said. "We can't sit around and wait for Philadelphia to lose."

Added defensive end DeMarcus Ware: "We just feel like we don't want any margin of error. We want to win out and control our own destiny. That's just the bottom line."

Certainly the Cowboys felt that way going into the Bears game.

But they couldn't control quarterback Josh McCown and a Bears offense that rolled up 490 yards.

McCown, starting for the injured Jay Cutler, completed 27 of 36 passes for 348 yards and four touchdown in what was easily the best game of his career. He also had a rushing touchdown.

The Bears had 23 plays of 10 yards or more passing and running to completely frustrate the Cowboys. And they scored on eight straight possessions before the final kneel down drive.

Romo and Cowboys offense was good but it wasn't good enough and it certainly didn't do enough to keep up with the Bears.

Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant said he was surprised and frustrated by the team's performance.

"Shocked. Shocked. There's nothing else to say," Bryant said.

"We didn't do a very good job of making any stops. That limited our opportunities on offense," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "It's a team loss. We didn't do enough on offense and we didn't do enough on special teams."

The Cowboys however can't let the loss linger as they have Packers coming to AT&T Stadium on Sunday. The Cowboys are 5-1 at home this season.

"We have to go back to work and get ready for the next challenge," Garrett said. "The worst thing we can do is have a hangover."

Said defensive tackle Jason Hatcher: "You've got to forget about it. It's a short week. We've got Green Bay to worry about. We've got to be ready to roll because these next three games we've got to win. There's a sense of urgency. We have to win out.

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NOTES, QUOTES

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Tuesday he still has confidence in defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, following Monday night's 45-28 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Jones said in an interview on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas that he still believes in Kiffin, defensive line coach Rod Marinelli and the rest of the Cowboys' defensive staff.

"To fix what we're doing, there's nobody I'd rather have than him and Rod Marinelli, and where we are today to get this fixed over the next week, two weeks, three weeks," Jones said. "There's nobody I'd rather have than him to fix it. First of all, he knows what we're doing better than anyone, and if there are adjustments to be made, he's the right man for the job right now."

Asked about an in-season firing, Jones said he expects Kiffin to get to work at improving the defense to get the Cowboys to the playoffs.

"He takes it personally. It's hard on him. It's very hard on him. He's been doing it a long time at his age (73) and he's had a lot of different experiences," Jones said. "He doesn't in any way reject the responsibility. As a matter of fact, he invites it on himself."

Dallas is now a game behind the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East, but if the Cowboys win their last three games, they win the division. The Cowboys play the Eagles in Week 17 on Dec. 29.